Every year 200 diaspora armenians come to Armenia due to “HOST FAMILY” program

Every year “Host family” program of “To Hayq” foundation hosts Diaspora Armenian volunteers, familiarize them with Armenian history and culture, organize visits to different corners of our country and of course, teach them to speak Armenian. Volunteers stay in Armenian family, which gives them an opportunity to get acquainted with Armenian family model.

“To Hayq” foundation was created in 2004, and the first volunteers came to Armenia in 2005. During these years, foundation had approximately 1400 graduates. Currently, there are approximately 100 volunteers in Armenia, who are not only concentrated in Yerevan, but also in Gyumri and Vanadzor.

Recently, we hosted the manager of foundation’s program Gohar Khachatryan at AEON. We found out what volunteers do here and how Armenian families can become a part of “Host family” program.

-Gohar, please tell us about the functions of your foundation. What are you doing?

The main goal of our foundation is to involve young Diaspora Armenians into Armenian life. Many Armenians who live in other countries know very little about Armenia. We give them the opportunity to visit Armenia through a volunteer program. Every volunteer that comes here needs to work 6 hours. For each of them we choose a work that is suitable to his profession. Besides, every Saturday we go to different corners of Armenia, starting from the closest places, such as Garni and Geghard to the most furthest villages of Artsakh. The other function of our foundation is to teach them speak Armenian. Two days a week they take language courses. We want volunteers to get a complete picture of Armenia. For that reason, every Wednesday we organize classes about different topics. One more function is “Host family” program, about which we decided to organize a meeting at AEON. Every Armenian that comes here stays at Armenian family. One of the goals of the program is to inform young people about Armenia by communicating with local people. Besides, they need a family that will help them to adapt to the Armenian reality.

-How do you choose families?

- Very often, the families that have been working with us for a long time recommend other families and we contact with the. Or families contact us and I visit them, talk to family members and get acquainted with conditions. One of the necessary conditions is to give the volunteer a separate room. Sometimes conditions at home are not so good; however, the important thing is to have a kind and friendly family.

Families join our program because of several reasons. Every month we give 83000 AMD to host families. There are families that want to host a volunteer because of money; however, there are also families that want to host a volunteer so that their children could speak foreign languages.

-What impressions do the Diaspora Armenians usually leave with?

-All the time we ask our volunteers about their impressions. Every year we try to understand what problems they have and how we can help them. As a rule, the majority of them become connected with family members. Volunteer doesn’t just live in the family, he becomes a family member. Like other family members, he also participates in home works and is integrated into family.

We have very interesting stories about volunteers. Once, one of them wanted to extend his trip, but he had already bought the return ticket. He needed to extend his ticket, but didn’t have enough money to do so. Host family decided to pay for the ticket. One of the volunteers was living with a couple, who had been married for a long time but hadn’t established their union with the church. The volunteer took part in their marriage and had a very important role in the process.

Volunteers become connected with families and leave with very positive impressions. Generally, they leave Armenia very satisfied. During their visit they manage to love Armenia and at the same time they realize Armenian problems starting from poverty and emigration to women’s rights violations.

-How do young people know about your foundation? Which countries are they coming from?

Often when volunteers leave Armenia they tell about us to their friends, who later want to visit Armenia and participate in our program. Besides, we also have our website and we are very active in social media. Every year the number of our volunteers increases. 50% of volunteers come from the USA and Canada; the others come from other parts of the world.

-How will you assess volunteers’ knowledge of Armenian before they participate in your courses?

Approximately 40% of them doesn’t know Armenian at all, the other 60% are able to speak Armenian. During their visit, volunteers take Armenian language courses and at the end they take a test if they want us to pay for their ticket. We try to support them and in this way we try to motivate them to learn Armenian.

-What’s the biggest problem that volunteers have during their visit in Armenia?

In reality, there are different problems, but, most often they are worried before they come here, like where they are coming, where they will live, what they will be doing. When they come, all these worries immediately disappear. We are always with them and always know about their problems.

-What do you think has the culture of host family develop here?

-I think we-Armenians are a very hospitable nation. Volunteers always say the same. They also say that they get positive energy. Sometimes they say that staying in a host family has taught them how they should behave in their real families. I think many Armenian families don’t know about us. If they do, they would like to join us.

-Would you like to add something at the end of our talk?

-Often new families call me saying they want to join us but they are worried how everything will be. I always say them that they will never know if they don’t try. You need to do the first step so that the volunteer will be able to integrate. If the family doesn’t want to host the volunteer, other family hosts him. In any case, I want to motivate Armenian families to take part in our program and try to host Diaspora Armenian volunteers in their families.

Every year 200 diaspora armenians come to Armenia due to “HOST FAMILY” program

Every year “Host family” program of “To Hayq” foundation hosts Diaspora Armenian volunteers, familiarize them with Armenian history and culture, organize visits to different corners of our country and of course, teach them to speak Armenian. Volunteers stay in Armenian family, which gives them an opportunity to get acquainted with Armenian family model.

“To Hayq” foundation was created in 2004, and the first volunteers came to Armenia in 2005. During these years, foundation had approximately 1400 graduates. Currently, there are approximately 100 volunteers in Armenia, who are not only concentrated in Yerevan, but also in Gyumri and Vanadzor.

Recently, we hosted the manager of foundation’s program Gohar Khachatryan at AEON. We found out what volunteers do here and how Armenian families can become a part of “Host family” program.

-Gohar, please tell us about the functions of your foundation. What are you doing?

The main goal of our foundation is to involve young Diaspora Armenians into Armenian life. Many Armenians who live in other countries know very little about Armenia. We give them the opportunity to visit Armenia through a volunteer program. Every volunteer that comes here needs to work 6 hours. For each of them we choose a work that is suitable to his profession. Besides, every Saturday we go to different corners of Armenia, starting from the closest places, such as Garni and Geghard to the most furthest villages of Artsakh. The other function of our foundation is to teach them speak Armenian. Two days a week they take language courses. We want volunteers to get a complete picture of Armenia. For that reason, every Wednesday we organize classes about different topics. One more function is “Host family” program, about which we decided to organize a meeting at AEON. Every Armenian that comes here stays at Armenian family. One of the goals of the program is to inform young people about Armenia by communicating with local people. Besides, they need a family that will help them to adapt to the Armenian reality.

-How do you choose families?

- Very often, the families that have been working with us for a long time recommend other families and we contact with the. Or families contact us and I visit them, talk to family members and get acquainted with conditions. One of the necessary conditions is to give the volunteer a separate room. Sometimes conditions at home are not so good; however, the important thing is to have a kind and friendly family.

Families join our program because of several reasons. Every month we give 83000 AMD to host families. There are families that want to host a volunteer because of money; however, there are also families that want to host a volunteer so that their children could speak foreign languages.

-What impressions do the Diaspora Armenians usually leave with?

-All the time we ask our volunteers about their impressions. Every year we try to understand what problems they have and how we can help them. As a rule, the majority of them become connected with family members. Volunteer doesn’t just live in the family, he becomes a family member. Like other family members, he also participates in home works and is integrated into family.

We have very interesting stories about volunteers. Once, one of them wanted to extend his trip, but he had already bought the return ticket. He needed to extend his ticket, but didn’t have enough money to do so. Host family decided to pay for the ticket. One of the volunteers was living with a couple, who had been married for a long time but hadn’t established their union with the church. The volunteer took part in their marriage and had a very important role in the process.

Volunteers become connected with families and leave with very positive impressions. Generally, they leave Armenia very satisfied. During their visit they manage to love Armenia and at the same time they realize Armenian problems starting from poverty and emigration to women’s rights violations.

-How do young people know about your foundation? Which countries are they coming from?

Often when volunteers leave Armenia they tell about us to their friends, who later want to visit Armenia and participate in our program. Besides, we also have our website and we are very active in social media. Every year the number of our volunteers increases. 50% of volunteers come from the USA and Canada; the others come from other parts of the world.

-How will you assess volunteers’ knowledge of Armenian before they participate in your courses?

Approximately 40% of them doesn’t know Armenian at all, the other 60% are able to speak Armenian. During their visit, volunteers take Armenian language courses and at the end they take a test if they want us to pay for their ticket. We try to support them and in this way we try to motivate them to learn Armenian.

-What’s the biggest problem that volunteers have during their visit in Armenia?

In reality, there are different problems, but, most often they are worried before they come here, like where they are coming, where they will live, what they will be doing. When they come, all these worries immediately disappear. We are always with them and always know about their problems.

-What do you think has the culture of host family develop here?

-I think we-Armenians are a very hospitable nation. Volunteers always say the same. They also say that they get positive energy. Sometimes they say that staying in a host family has taught them how they should behave in their real families. I think many Armenian families don’t know about us. If they do, they would like to join us.

-Would you like to add something at the end of our talk?

-Often new families call me saying they want to join us but they are worried how everything will be. I always say them that they will never know if they don’t try. You need to do the first step so that the volunteer will be able to integrate. If the family doesn’t want to host the volunteer, other family hosts him. In any case, I want to motivate Armenian families to take part in our program and try to host Diaspora Armenian volunteers in their families.